Redemption Church

Dr. Anna Ord

Matthew did not write his Gospel to inform us how to escape our sin and hell, but he wrote to inform us of the new story to which we must now adopt with our lives. The coming of Jesus changes everything, including the story by which we determine our meaning and purpose. In today’s passage, we examine two requirements to follow Jesus in His story. The first one is familiar; the second one is odd. To follow Jesus requires our complete faith in him and paying our taxes.

As we start Matthew 17 we see Jesus lead his disciples up onto the mountain of Transfiguration. As he appears in glory with Moses and Elijah, we are made to ask: is this where his victory is achieved, or will it come somewhere else? In a similar way we too must ask, where is our victory achieved?

What does the future life of those who belong to Jesus look like? How can we be sure that we will undergo resurrection? In this sermon, we examine 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul states that Jesus is the firstftruits of resurrection; therefore, we are guaranteed of our resurrection of the same kind as Jesus'.

As Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem and the impending crucifixion, he reminds his disciples of what it is going to cost to continue to truly follow him, namely their lives. The way to find life is through death, just as Jesus set the example. 

In Matthew 16:13-20 we come to one of the most controversial passages in all of church history! This passage is the famous passage that has divided the Catholic and Protestant church, all regarding the declaration of Peter that Jesus the Son of God and then Jesus’ response that he will build his church “on the rock.” In this sermon we examine not only WHAT was said, but WHERE it was said. Understanding where this famous passage takes place is the key to actually understanding what is happening in this passage, and also equips and empowers us to pick up our own place as those who are The Church. 

In Matthew 16:5-12 Jesus warns his disciples, and us, about what we should be perceptive and on guard against! His warning may shock and alarm us though. He warns against the one thing that will keep us far from the Kingdom, even though we often think we are close. If we understand this warning, we realize that deep within each of us is a bent towards self-salvation, and only in the good news of grace are we continually liberated from that. 

Jesus performs another feeding miracle by providing for 4,000 people. The disciples are confused again how they are going to feed so many people with so little food, even though they witnessed a similar event a few chapter earlier. This demonstrates that our natural hearts are bent towards a scarcity mindset, not an abundant one. In Jesus we have abundance. In this sermon, Pastor Scott analyzes the distinction between living with a scarcity vs abundance mindset.

This sermon explored a strange encounter between Jesus and a Canaanite woman. A demon oppressed the daughter of the Canaanite woman. The woman approaches Jesus and pleads for his help. In a surprising turn of events, Jesus seems to ignore her and then insult her for being a Gentile. We explore the tension of walking through the silence of God while looking to Jesus, who himself walked through the silence of God on the cross. This Canaanite woman stands as a picture of genuine Christian faith in the gospel. 

In Matthew 15.10-20, Jesus makes an outrageous claim - or at least outrageous to the Jews of his day - that defilement comes from inside, not the outside. He states, "What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” In this teaching, Pastor Scott analyzes the nature of defilement both then and today.